You would be kidding yourself if you said you have never craved those wonderful carbs, especially sugary treats, throughout your day. The majority of people are craving carbs almost 24/7, including us. What a lot of people may not know is that there is an optimal time of day when it's best to eat those carbs you spend the whole day thinking about. This time of day is the time surrounding your workouts, especially after!
No, this isn't just somebody trying to trick you to workout so that you get to eat some sweets. It is all due to the physiological response of your body to moderate to high intensity exercise lasting approximately 30 minutes. Moderate to high intensity exercise...That's the key to this secret. You need to perform exercise that gets that heart rate going in order to indulge in some of those carbs afterwards. These types of muscle contractions are what is needed for this to work. The worst thing you could do is walk for a few minutes, without sweating, without an increase in your heart rate, and then consume 12 snickers bars after. If we go and do that, we end up consuming more carbs then we are burning, which leads to what we all try to avoid...fat. (Science can be brutal, I know). But, that is not what we are discussing here. By increasing the heart rate, getting the sweat going, the glucose (simple form of carbohydrates) that is saved up in your body will start to be used for physical activity. Glucose is your FUEL. Glucose is what provides you with energy throughout the day (especially necessary for brain function!), and especially throughout workouts. The glucose that accumulates, and is stored in your body, is known as your glycogen storage. When this storage is depleted, it needs to be replenished. Hence, why we get to eat some of those delicious carbs after our workouts :)!
Now diving into this a little deeper. The physiological response of the body deals with your insulin sensitivity and especially your glucose transporters known as the GLUT 4 transporter. The job description of this GLUT 4 receptor is simply to transport glucose from outside the cells to inside muscle and fat cells. During a normal day, the GLUT 4 receptors hang out and relax deep within muscle and fat cells, which makes it harder for the glucose to be absorbed. Fortunately for us there is a phenomenon where the GLUT 4 receptors move to the outer parts of the cell, which in turn makes it easier for glucose to be absorbed. This is called GLUT 4 translocation. During this time, the receptors are ready to soak up some consumed carbs. These receptors don't remain on the outside of the cell for hours though, minutes is more accurate..it is safe to say that one should consume carbs no longer than 20 minutes post workout. Anytime after that, you are risking that these receptors have made their way back to the middle of the cell...so take advantage of it!
A few key points: Yes it is actually beneficial to consume carbs after your workout! Make sure to not take advantage of this process. There aree better carbs to consume than others:
Carbs to avoid:
- Crazy unhealthy carbs like candy bars, high sugar drinks like
- Doughnuts, baked goods....dang it (unless they are the protein doughnuts posted earlier- woot!)
- High fat foods (high fat and high carb foods- not ideal)
Carbs to choose:
- Plain yogurts
- Fruits (especially bananas- contain loads of crucial vitamins to maintain muscular health!)
- Sweet potatoes
- Protein shakes (my love)
- Don't forget about water before, during and after!
A few numbers to think about: A variety of research has been done regarding the amount of carbs that should be consumed after a workout. Livestrong states approximately 0.5 grams to around 0.7 grams per pound of body weight should be consumed, whereas I recall hearing from other sources 0.25 grams to 0.4 grams should be consumed. For me weighing around 205, 0.25 grams per lb would allow me roughly 40 grams of carbs after workout. To put that into perspective a 16 oz gatorade has a little over 30 grams of carbs in it; so that would almost be about it for me after workout. Lastly...DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOUR PROTEIN. This entire post is about carbs, but protein is necessary after your workouts as well. Your body needs protein to continue the process of protein synthesis, and building up those muscles. Try and shoot for around 20-30 grams of protein!
Carbs aren't always the enemy, after an good workout.. they can actually be our friend!!!
#trips
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